scholarly journals What cancer research makes the news? A quantitative analysis of online news stories that mention cancer studies

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247553
Author(s):  
Laura Moorhead ◽  
Melinda Krakow ◽  
Lauren Maggio
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Research ◽  
News Media ◽  
Online News ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Cancer Type ◽  
News Stories ◽  
News Sources ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
The Subject

Journalists’ health and science reporting aid the public’s direct access to research through the inclusion of hyperlinks leading to original studies in peer-reviewed journals. While this effort supports the US-government mandate that research be made widely available, little is known about what research journalists share with the public. This cross-sectional exploratory study characterises US-government-funded research on cancer that appeared most frequently in news coverage and how that coverage varied by cancer type, disease incidence and mortality rates. The subject of analysis was 11436 research articles (published in 2016) on cancer funded by the US government and 642 news stories mentioning at least one of these articles. Based on Altmetric data, researchers identified articles via PubMed and characterised each based on the news media attention received online. Only 1.88% (n = 213) of research articles mentioning US government-funded cancer research included at least one mention in an online news publication. This is in contrast to previous research that found 16.8% (n = 1925) of articles received mention by online mass media publications. Of the 13 most common cancers in the US, 12 were the subject of at least one news mention; only urinary and bladder cancer received no mention. Traditional news sources included significantly more mentions of research on common cancers than digital native news sources. However, a general discrepancy exists between cancers prominent in news sources and those with the highest mortality rate. For instance, lung cancer accounted for the most deaths annually, while melanoma led to 56% less annual deaths; however, journalists cited research regarding these cancers nearly equally. Additionally, breast cancer received the greatest coverage per estimated annual death, while pancreatic cancer received the least coverage per death. Findings demonstrated a continued misalignment between prevalent cancers and cancers mentioned in online news media. Additionally, cancer control and prevention received less coverage from journalists than other cancer continuum stages, highlighting a continued underrepresentation of prevention-focused research. Results revealed a need for further scholarship regarding the role of journalists in research dissemination.

scholarly journals Making headlines: an analysis of US government-funded cancer research mentioned in online media

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e025783 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren A Maggio ◽  
Chelsea L Ratcliff ◽  
Melinda Krakow ◽  
Laura L Moorhead ◽  
Asura Enkhbayar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Control ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Cancer Type ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Funded Research ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
The Subject

ObjectiveTo characterise how online media coverage of journal articles on cancer funded by the US government varies by cancer type and stage of the cancer control continuum and to compare the disease prevalence rates with the amount of funded research published for each cancer type and with the amount of media attention each receives.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingThe United States.ParticipantsThe subject of analysis was 11 436 journal articles on cancer funded by the US government published in 2016. These articles were identified via PubMed and characterised as receiving online media attention based on data provided by Altmetric.Results16.8% (n=1925) of articles published on US government-funded research were covered in the media. Published journal articles addressed all common cancers. Frequency of journal articles differed substantially across the common cancers, with breast cancer (n=1284), lung cancer (n=630) and prostate cancer (n=586) being the subject of the most journal articles. Roughly one-fifth to one-fourth of journal articles within each cancer category received online media attention. Media mentions were disproportionate to actual burden of each cancer type (ie, incidence and mortality), with breast cancer articles receiving the most media mentions. Scientific articles also covered the stages of the cancer continuum to varying degrees. Across the 13 most common cancer types, 4.4% (n=206) of articles focused on prevention and control, 11.7% (n=550) on diagnosis and 10.7% (n=502) on therapy.ConclusionsFindings revealed a mismatch between prevalent cancers and cancers highlighted in online media. Further, journal articles on cancer control and prevention received less media attention than other cancer continuum stages. Media mentions were not proportional to actual public cancer burden nor volume of scientific publications in each cancer category. Results highlight a need for continued research on the role of media, especially online media, in research dissemination.

scholarly journals Cancer In The News: Bias And Quality In Media Reporting Of Cancer Research

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Amberg ◽  
Darren N. Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Research ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Online News ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Research Reporting ◽  
News Reports ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Study Selection ◽  
Meta Analyses

AbstractCancer research in the news is often associated with sensationalising and inaccurate reporting, giving rise to false hopes and expectations. The role of study selection for cancer-related news stories is an important but less commonly acknowledged issue, as the outcomes of primary research are generally less reliable than those of meta-analyses and systematic reviews. Few studies have investigated the quality of research that makes the news and no previous analyses of the proportions of primary and secondary research in the news have been found in the literature. The main aim of this study was to investigate the nature and quality of cancer research covered in online news reports by four major news sources from USA, UK and Australia. We measured significant variation in reporting quality, and observed biases in many aspects of cancer research reporting, including the types of study selected for coverage, and in the spectrum of cancer types, gender of scientists, and geographical source of research represented. We discuss the implications of these finding for guiding accurate, contextual reporting of cancer research, which is critical in helping the public understand complex science and appreciate the outcomes of publicly funded research, avoid undermining trust in science, and assist informed decision-making.

scholarly journals Public Opinion Polls and Experts in Election News

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Guðbjörg Hildur Kolbeins
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
News Media ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Online News ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Radio Stations ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Election News ◽  
Public Opinion Polls ◽  
Opinion Polls

By employing the theoretical framework of framing, the present paper attempts to examine the Icelandic media’s coverage of the 2013 parliamentary election by paying particular attention to coverage of public opinion polls and the policies of the political parties, i.e. the “horse-race” frame and the issue frame, and to examine media’s reliance on experts for interpretation of election news. Seven online news media, two newspapers, two radio stations and two television channels were monitored for 25 days prior to Election Day, i.e. from April 2 to April 26, 2013, - resulting in 1377 election news stories. The findings show, for example, that 29.8% of all the election news stories had public opinion polls as their primary angle while 12% of the stories were primarily issue-oriented. In addition, the media rely on experts for interpretation of the polls; five of the 10 most interviewed or quoted sources on public opinion surveys were political science experts who were affiliated with universities. Finally, news coverage of polls was generally amplified as media outlets had a tendency to report on public opinion polls that were commissioned by other media.

Sacrificing Credibility for Sleaze

2016 ◽  
pp. 1267-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenn Burleson Mackay ◽  
Erica Bailey
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Online News ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Soft News ◽  
Credibility Scale ◽  
Act Utilitarianism ◽  
Traditional Stories

This chapter uses an experiment to analyze how mainstream journalists' use of sensationalized or tabloid-style writing techniques affect the credibility of online news. Participants read four news stories and rated their credibility using McCroskey's Source Credibility Scale. Participants found stories written with a tabloid style less credible than more traditional stories. Soft news stories written with a tabloidized style were rated more credible than hard news stories that also had a tabloidized style. Results suggest that online news media may damage their credibility by using tabloidized writing techniques to increase readership. Furthermore, participants were less likely to enjoy stories written in a tabloidized style. The authors conclude by utilizing act utilitarianism to argue that tabloidized writing is an unethical journalistic technique.

scholarly journals The Production of Information in an Online World

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 2126-2164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Cagé ◽  
Nicolas Hervé ◽  
Marie-Luce Viaud
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
High Reactivity ◽  
Online News ◽  
News Production ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Commercial Viability ◽  
Incentive Problem ◽  
News Event

Abstract News production requires investment, and competitors’ ability to appropriate a story may reduce a media’s incentives to provide original content. Yet, there is little legal protection of intellectual property rights in online news production, which raises the issue of the extent of copying online and the incentives to provide original content. In this article, we build a unique dataset combining all the online content produced by French news media during the year 2013 with new micro audience data. We develop a topic detection algorithm that identifies each news event, trace the timeline of each story, and study news propagation. We provide new evidence on online news production. First, we document high reactivity of online media: one quarter of the news stories are reproduced online in under 4 min. We show that this is accompanied by substantial copying, both at the extensive and at the intensive margins, which may constitute a severe threat to the commercial viability of the news media. Next, we estimate the returns to originality in online news production. Using article-level variations and media-level daily audience combined with article-level social media statistics, we find that original content producers tend to receive more viewers, thereby mitigating the newsgathering incentive problem raised by copying.

scholarly journals Reinforcing spirals at work? Mutual influences between selective news exposure and ideological leaning

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M Dahlgren ◽  
Adam Shehata ◽  
Jesper Strömbäck
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
Significant Degree ◽  
Selective Exposure ◽  
Online News ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
Print News ◽  
News Sources ◽  
Reciprocal Influences ◽  
Consistent Information

The growth of partisan news sources has raised concerns that people will increasingly select attitude-consistent information, which might lead to increasing political polarization. Thus far, there is limited research on the long-term mutual influences between selective exposure and political attitudes. To remedy this, this study investigates the reciprocal influences between selective exposure and political attitudes over several years, using a three-wave panel survey conducted in Sweden during 2014–2016. More specifically, we analyse how ideological selective exposure to both traditional and online news media influences citizens’ ideological leaning. Findings suggest that (1) people seek-out ideologically consistent print news and online news and (2) such attitude-consistent news exposure reinforces citizens’ ideological leaning over time. In practice, however, such reinforcement effects are hampered by (3) relatively low overall ideological selective exposure and a (4) significant degree of cross-cutting news exposure online. These findings are discussed in light of selective exposure theory and the reinforcing spirals model.

Inconsistencies in reporting risk information: a pilot analysis of online news coverage of West Nile Virus

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Birnbrauer ◽  
Dennis Owen Frohlich ◽  
Debbie Treise
Keyword(s):  
West Nile Virus ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Online News ◽  
Risk Information ◽  
West Nile ◽  
News Stories ◽  
The Us ◽  
Action Frame

West Nile Virus (WNV) has been reported as one of the worst epidemics in US history. This study sought to understand how WNV news stories were framed and how risk information was portrayed from its 1999 arrival in the US through the year 2012. The authors conducted a quantitative content analysis of online news articles obtained through Google News ( N = 428). The results of this analysis were compared to the CDC’s ArboNET surveillance system. The following story frames were identified in this study: action, conflict, consequence, new evidence, reassurance and uncertainty, with the action frame appearing most frequently. Risk was communicated quantitatively without context in the majority of articles, and only in 2006, the year with the third-highest reported deaths, was risk reported with statistical accuracy. The results from the analysis indicated that at-risk communities were potentially under-informed as accurate risks were not communicated. This study offers evidence about how disease outbreaks are covered in relation to actual disease surveillance data.

scholarly journals Investigative News of Online Media

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Septiawan Santana Kurnia ◽  
Dadi Ahmadi ◽  
Firmansyah Firmansyah
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Online News ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Research Subjects ◽  
Online Journalism ◽  
Investigative Reporting ◽  
News Stories

An investigative reporting has changed quite rapidly in the last few periods after the development of information technology. The presence of online media encourages the emergence of online journalism. The existence of online journalism, within the framework of online media, gives a certain touch to investigative reporting activities. Investigative reporting developed in online media has managerial uniqueness and certain coverage patterns. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how the management of editorials and online media coverage patterns in Indonesia conducting investigative coverage.Data for this research is obtained through interviews with data analysis using a qualitative approach and a case study method of single case-multilevel analysis. Research subjects (journalism) and research objects (online investigative news) of this study are Detik.com and Tirto.id.The results of the study show that investigative data are at the core of investigative reporting in online media. It can be in the form of direct observation under investigation (disguising) or the disclosure of new facts that have not been revealed before. The online news media in Indonesia, although it relies on the speed, also still takes into account the accuracy and rules of journalism, especially in the coverage of investigations. The online media strategy in reporting investigations is to divide investigative data into several news stories with one theme, but each headline is different according to the investigative reporting to be reported in parts.

scholarly journals From robots to social robots. Trends, representation and Facebook engagement of robot-related news stories published by Italian online news media

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Righetti ◽  
Marco Carradore
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
Online News ◽  
Social Robots ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Relevance ◽  
News Stories ◽  
The Social ◽  
Major Interest ◽  
Over Time

In recent decades, robots, social robots and artificial intelligence have increasingly entered daily life, affirming their presence not only in traditional spheres such as industrial production, but also gaining access to social reproduction, expressive functions and domestic activities. Considering the social relevance robots have now acquired, this essay aims at investigating their cultural representations in Italian online news media. More specifically, the study investigates trends of robot-related topics in online newspaper coverage and Facebook engagement over time, and analyzes news topics through text mining techniques. The study relies on a dataset of about 3,000 news stories published between 2014 and 2018 by some 100 different Italian news media. Results show a constant increase in news relating to robots, a major interest in work issues and a thematic shift over time: more recent topics describe the social-reproduction functions of robots. Finally, some suggestions for future research are outlined.

scholarly journals Framing science: How opioid research is presented in online news media

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Matthias ◽  
Alice Fleerackers ◽  
Juan Pablo Alperin
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Online News ◽  
Science Journalism ◽  
Related Research ◽  
News Stories ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Media ◽  
Understanding Of Science

Through their coverage and framing, popular news media play an instrumental role in shaping public perception of important issues like the opioid crisis. Using a detailed coding instrument, we analyzed how opioid-related research was covered by US and Canadian online news media in 2017 and 2018, at the height of the crisis. We find that opioid-related research is not frequently mentioned in online news media, but when it is, it is most often framed as valid, certain, and trustworthy. Our results also reveal that the media predominantly present research findings without context, providing little information about the study design, methodology, or other relevant details—although there is variability in what kind of news stories mention opioid-related research, what study details they provide, and what frames they use. Potential implications for the future of science communication and science journalism, as well as the public perception and understanding of science, are discussed.

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